We hear more about unhealthy foods and American obesity. Everyone wants low-calorie and low-fat. While the nutritional content of your food is extremely helpful and vital to leading a healthy lifestyle, it is also important to consider where your food came from and how is was made. We never stop to think about how our chicken fingers got on our plate, we just dunk them in some ketchup and shove them in our mouths. Our lack of concern has been taken advantage of and the methods used are not always ones that we as consumers would deem safe.
The documentary Food Inc., which was shown in Mrs. Wright’s Earth and the Environment class, illustrates the industrialization of American food. As farmers seek cheaper, faster ways to grow larger livestock and crops, new technologies are employed such as genetic modification or growth hormones, which can potentially cause risks. The film posed a food revolution, pushing for consumers to buy organic and locally grown foods. Growing the food yourself is the healthiest, safest, and an economical way to provide for your family. The Latrobe Farmer’s Market is a great way to buy cheaper, locally grown foods. You can feel better about buying them because you know that no risky technologies, harmful chemicals or large factories have been used to produce the crops. You also know that the money you spend is going to someone in your community, rather than big business.
If you don’t have the opportunity to buy organic or locally grown, then a simple visit to the company website can help you to tell how your chicken was raised or which pesticides were used on your lettuce. You will be surprised to learn the risks that some companies take just to speed up their production and increase their income. The moral of the story is, think about what you eat before you eat it. For more info, check out these websites:
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php
